


Houdini

by Sabene4511



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Mild Language, Mystery, Please Don't Kill Me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-11 22:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16861264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabene4511/pseuds/Sabene4511
Summary: The FBI requests the help of the Phoenix Foundation when a group of smugglers start mysteriously disappearing.





	Houdini

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, here's the thing. This sort of a crossover, but you don't need to know the other fandom in order to read/enjoy this fic. I don't want to tell you what it is before-hand because I think it would ruin the suspense of the fic. However, if you really want to know you can (break my heart) scroll to the bottom note to see what it's a crossover with.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘You both have the morning off. You’ll be working a night op for the next few nights. Briefing at 5pm.’ The text was sent to him and Mac. Jack shoves his phone into his pocket and lets out a sigh. What to do? Hmm...maybe Mac would be up for sparring this morning. That way he could take a nap this afternoon so he won’t be tired for the op. He pulls his phone back out and presses the speed-dial.

 

\---------

 

‘Well, today didn’t quite go like I planned,’ thinks Jack as he walks groggily into the Phoenix War Room ten minutes before 5. Mac and Matty are already there along with a man he doesn’t recognize.

 

“Wow, Dalton is actually early for once,” cracks Matty. “We can go ahead and get started then. This is Special Agent Jerome Hoag with the FBI and he’ll be filling you boys in on your job tonight.”

 

“I’ll get right to the point gentleman. The FBI has been after a company called Coast to Coast Shipping. They’re a legitimate shipping company, on the surface. However, they also specialize in moving contraband within the US to whoever can pay. They don’t care what they’re moving or where its going or why. They have no dogma and no lines they won’t cross. They move whatever their clients can pay for.”

 

“So they’re just the middlemen?” Interjects Jack.

 

“Yes, but they are very,  _ very _ good at it. Their people are almost never caught. If we can take this ring down, their clients will have to turn to other, less reliable smugglers. Which will make it easier to catch the clients on either end.”

 

“Makes sense,” says Mac. “What do you need from us?”

 

“Well, we sort of have a problem. Someone is killing them, one at a time and we can’t figure out who, why or how. The FBI needs to focus on catching the group. We need the Phoenix to catch the vigilantes.”

 

“Wait, you don’t know  _ how _ these people are being killed?” Wonders Jack. “What about the bodies?”

 

“There are no bodies. These men are simply vanishing when they’re alone. Always between 8 and 11 pm. The last one was surrounded by 20 of his buddies until he went to the bathroom and never came back. In each case, the vigilante leaves a note.”

 

Matty presses a button and almost two dozen notes appear on the screen behind her -each only two words long, written in calligraphy on parchment.

 

“Their names?” Asks Mac.

 

“Close. The name of the person who will be taken  _ next _ ” replies Agent Hoag

 

Mac’s eyebrows shoot up. “Next?! They’re warning the smugglers who will be next? Why isn’t the company protecting these individuals or why aren’t the individuals hiding when their name is left?”

 

“They are, that’s the thing. They’ve run and disappeared from hotel rooms in other states. Some of the disappearances are really strange. They’ve vanished from rooms locked from the inside, no sign of forced entry. One even jumped on a red eye flight to Australia and disappeared mid-flight. We have airport security footage of him boarding the plane, but not getting off. Nothing strange was reported on the flight and the manifest had nothing out of the ordinary.”

 

Jack’s face scrunches up. “What the hell? Houdini is going after criminals from beyond the grave or something?”

 

Mac interjects “How do we have all this detail? Are the smugglers cooperating with you?”

 

“No. We have an agent that’s been undercover for almost a year. He’s finding out who all the players are by working his way up in the organization. The hard part is figuring out who in the company knows about the illegal side business. Our agent is why we need you. If we try to find and capture this vigilante group, the smugglers will know they have a mole and it would put our man at risk.”

 

“Ok, so what do we know about Houdini and his crew?”

 

“Almost nothing. The one note we were able to actually get our hands on was modern parchment paper made to look old, available at most craft stores. There are no fingerprints or DNA on it except for the smugglers who found it. The calligraphy is done by hand with an old fashioned quill and iron gall ink. The only scene we have access to is the one on the plane in Australia and that turned up nothing. We have a  _ possible _ description of  _ one _ person who  _ may _ be involved and it isn’t much...male, early 20’s, average height, slender muscular build, shoulder length wavy blonde hair.”

 

Matty chimes in “The next target is this man.” His picture comes up on the screen with the press of a button. “Danny Peters. Relatively low level, he ran when his name was left. Riley found a credit card charge for an alias of his at a hotel on the outskirts of LA.

 

“He didn’t run very far,” says Jack.

 

“He isn’t known for his intelligence, Jack. He loads the contraband into the hidden compartments of the trucks. The problem is, if Riley can track him, so can Houdini’s people.”

 

Mac shakes his head. “Are we really going to keep calling him that?”

 

“You got something better, blondie?”

 

“No, ma’am...”.

 

Jack looks at Mac, “That’s another thing...blondie. That description of Houdini is a little too close to our boy here for my liking. I assume the smugglers have that description as well. So if they see Mac hanging around the location of the next target, they just might get a little trigger happy.”

 

“I’ll wear a hat. Relax. Besides, we’re going to be mostly hidden anyway unless the real  _ Houdini _ shows up.”

 

\------------------

 

The hotel is a little rundown, but clean. It’s one-story with about a dozen rooms in a U-shape around a single parking lot. Jack and Mac are set up in the room directly across from Houdini’s intended target.

 

“So Mac, you figure out how Houdini’s crew is pulling this off yet?”

 

“Well, each location would be different. So, without access to each one it’s hard to say. My guess is they have some inside help. But I’m sure it isn’t some kind of magic trick.”

 

“You don’t know that, hoss! There’s some freaky unexplainable shit in this world.”

 

“Just because we can’t explain it  _ yet _ doesn’t mean it will never be explained through rational scientific means. That being said, there’s also not enough evidence to  _ disprove _ some things that are a little more...mystical.”

 

“Is that your way of saying you believe in ghosts!?”

 

“It’s my way of saying that without definitive evidence either way, it would be irresponsible to either completely discount the possibility  _ or _ state it as an absolute truth.”

 

“Fair enough. How about here? How do you think they’re going to try to pull this off tonight?”

 

“Well, Riley pulled up the building plans and I had a look at them. All the rooms are basically the same, the main room with the bed or beds and a seperate bathroom. There are no back doors in any of the rooms and the only back windows are the small ones in the bathrooms that a child would be hard pressed to get through quickly. None of the rooms are connected to each other. So the only way in or out is the front door unless you blow a hole in the wall or ceiling, which may be why the target chose this hotel. He doesn’t have to watch his back, just the one door. It makes it easy for us. If anyone goes in, we’ll have them, they aren’t expecting us. We just have to grab the target, too, so the smugglers think Houdini got him not the FBI.”

 

“I kinda wish these these guys would hurry up and show already. We’ve been sitting here for over an hour...my butt is getting sore.”

 

They wait another 45 minutes before there is any movement outside worth noticing.

 

“Heads up Jack. This may be our Houdini. He matches the description.”

 

Jack walks back up next to Mac and sees a man approaching the target’s room. He moves calmly, gracefully. Practically gliding over the uneven sidewalk, its eerie. A shiver runs down Jack’s spine as the figure reaches the door and stops, as if listening. Then slowly the man smiles and turns, looking right at them before chuckling softly and turning to open the target’s unlocked door.

 

“We’ve been made!” Jack says heading for the exit, Mac on his heels. As he flings open their door he sees Houdini stepping into the other room and leaving the door open. They sprint across the parking lot, never taking their eyes from the targets door. Jack draws his gun just before reaching the open doorway and cautiously enters first. -Nothing. The room is empty. He moves through the room checking hiding places and the bathroom.

 

“What the hell?!” He exclaims as he lowers his gun and scratches his head. “You saw him come in here, right?”

 

Mac was lifting the mattress to check for people or passages. “Yeah, Jack. I was right next to you.”

 

They search everywhere. The parchment note is sitting on the table by the door bearing the name: Leonard Graft. Mac snaps a picture of it with his phone, but they find nothing else. No evidence. No exits. No bodies.

 

“We need to get out of here before his people show up, Jack. We can’t be seen.”

 

“Shit. Matty is gonna kill us.”

 

\-----------------------------------

 

“What the hell do you mean nothing?!” Matty roars.

 

Mac shrugs and sighs but it’s Jack who speaks. “Matty, we watched him go into that room. We ran in less than 10 seconds later and POOF! Gone! I’m telling you, there is some creepy voodoo mumbo jumbo going on here! I swear I feel like I’m in New Orleans instead of LA.”

 

“Voodoo, Jack? You’re seriously giving me voodoo as an excuse?” He opens his mouth to respond, “Shut it, Jack! What about you, Mac? Please tell me you have something better than voodoo.”

 

Mac takes a deep breath. “Maybe if I had more time to go over that room with a fine tooth comb I could figure it out, but we looked pretty thoroughly in the little time we had and there doesn’t seem to be any way in or out of that room other than the front door. Certainly nothing obvious he could have used in the few seconds before we entered, not while carrying a dead or unconscious body and definitely not with a conscious and struggling victim. I’m sorry, Matty, but I...I’m...stumped.” He seems almost stunned by the admission, so is Matty.

 

“Stumped? A puzzle that has blondie stumped?”

 

Mac takes her statement as a challenge. “I  _ will _ figure it out, Matty. I just need more time.” 

 

“Unfortunately, we may be out of time. The name that was left this time, Leonard Graft, he’s one of the top dogs in the company. He would have information on every single player in the smuggling operation plus info on the clients. We  _ can’t _ let this guy disappear. The FBI will need to interrogate him for their case. What about Houdini himself? You said you saw him?”

 

“The description is accurate, there really isn’t much to add.” Mac says.

 

Jack has other ideas. “You’re probably going to yell at me for saying this, but the dude is  _ creepy _ ! He moves wrong.”

 

Matty just looks confused. “What do you mean, Jack,  _ he moves wrong _ ?”

 

Mac comes to Jack’s defense. “He is right about that, Matty. Most people kind of bounce or sway as they walk, it’s a series of individual movements, even for someone considered graceful. This guy? It’s like one long movement without break or pause. It’s unnaturally smooth, beyond simply graceful. It reminded me of Victorian women descending the stairs. That same sort of practiced fluidity of movement. Maybe he’s some kind of dancer?”

 

“Whatever the case may be, I want you back here tomorrow for a 3pm briefing. Hopefully, by then we’ll know what Leonard Graft has decided to do to protect himself and we can form a plan.

 

\------------------------------

 

Jack trudges up the stairs to his apartment. All he can think about is a nice hot shower and his soft, comfy bed waiting for him. The moment he opens the door, however, he is instantly on alert. His security alarm isn’t beeping its warning to enter the deactivation code, and he  _ knows _ he set it when he left. He quietly drops his bag just inside while reaching for his gun. He flicks on the light and looks around, gun raised. Glancing at the alarm panel he sees it showing: Disarmed. He gently kicks the door shut so no one can sneak up behind him and carefully searches the apartment.

 

As he clears the last room he relaxes just a little, lowering the gun, but not holstering it. Something still feels off. The hairs at the base of his neck are standing on end. Nothing really seems disturbed, but he’s sure someone has been inside even if they’re gone now. He makes his way back towards the living room, still tense. That’s when he sees it, a piece of parchment on the kitchen island...it wasn’t there when he came in. The gun comes back up as he rechecks the apartment. Still nobody. Somewhat satisfied he’s alone, he picks up the parchment with his free hand and quickly reads it:

 

_ Sorry to spoil your fun, Jack. Maybe I’ll leave the next one alive for you...no promises. _

 

“Shit,” he pulls out his phone and hits speed-dial.

 

Matty answers on the second ring. “What’s wrong, Jack,” she actually sounds concerned.

 

“Houdini was in my apartment. He left me a note.”

 

\------------------------------

 

By the time the forensics team leaves Jack’s apartment it’s almost 2 am. He locks the door, sets the alarm, and gets ready for bed. He sleeps horribly, every little noise wakes him and he gets up 3 times to check the apartment because he  _ swears _ he can hear something. He never finds anything out of place and finally falls asleep as the sun rises.

 

\-------------------------------

 

3 pm sees Jack, Mac, Riley, and Leanna back in the War Room listening to Matty detail the evening’s plan. “The FBI  _ needs _ this target to survive, so they are cancelling the covert part of our operation. But if and  _ only _ if there is no other choice. The good news is there’s a chance we may not be necessary. Houdini’s target, Leonard Graft, is staying in his penthouse apartment on the 32nd floor. He has his own security people on the roof, in the hallways, stairwell entrances and one stationed  _ inside _ each elevator. They also have men patrolling outside and inside the building.

 

“Apparently, he drew the line on them being in the apartment itself. However, there are security cameras in the apartment as well as the rest of the building. Riley you’re going to get us access to the system. You and Leanna are going to be set up in the van on the back door. Mac, you’re going to be in the front lounge where you’ll have full view of the front door as well as the stairwells and elevators. Bozer is preparing a wig so you’ll be brunette. Jack, you’re going to set up a sniper’s perch on the roof of the hotel a block away, where you will have a clear shot into almost every room of the apartment. The FBI will have TAC teams set up 3 blocks away in case things go sideways.

 

“The hope is that Graft’s own people will be able to protect him and we won’t have to tip our hand. However, given Houdini’s ability to get to people anywhere, Graft demanding privacy in the apartment is a problem. If this guy gets passed the cameras and security personnel, Jack will be our last resort. Jack, you’ve been authorized to take the kill shot on Houdini if it becomes necessary. I will give the order, but in case something happens to comms, do  _ not _ let Houdini kill Graft or disappear with him. Take the shot. Understand?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

“The FBI is working on extracting their undercover agent, but it’ll take time. He only makes contact once every other week and he isn’t due to check in for another 6 days. They won’t be able to pull him until he does.”

 

“There’s a problem with this plan, Matty.” Mac says, looking concerned. “I get that the FBI needs Graft, but surely we aren’t going to just let the smugglers have this vigilante. He may be a murderer, but if they catch him, they’ll probably torture him to death. Are we really going to let that happen?”

 

“Hopefully not. We’ll have our people out on the streets trying to get eyes on him before he even reaches the building. But I’m not going to hold my breath for that after what he’s already managed to accomplish.  _ If _ he gets caught by them and he can’t escape on his own, we will rescue him.  _ If _ we can do so without too much risk to our people.”

 

\-----------------------------------

 

When the briefing is over, Jack heads immediately for the armory to gear up. He checks his favorite sniper’s rifle thoroughly, an HK MSG-90 DMR. He packs the ammo, tripod, a spotting scope and a thick blanket into a plain black duffle, along with his 9mm with a thigh holster and extra ammo for that as well, then towards towards the garage.

 

“Leaving already, Jack?”

 

He turns to see Mac approaching him. “Yeah. The sooner I get out there the better. It minimizes the chance that Houdini will see me arriving if he’s scoping out the place.”

 

“Good point. Well, don’t forget water then. It’s going to be hot laying on that roof.”

 

“I’m gonna stop at the store real quick on my way, and I don’t need to be on the roof until 6:30-7:00. I just need to get inside.”

 

“Well, stay safe. See you soon.”

 

“You too, brother.”

 

After a quick fist bump he’s out the door. He stops at the convenience store and grabs several bottles of water, some snacks and a sandwich before heading to his post. He and Matty had decided the most inconspicuous way for him to be entering a hotel and going upstairs with what looks like luggage is to check in as a guest. Matty had already spoken to the hotel’s owner and she is willing to cooperate. So, Jack walks up to the front desk and gives the name of his least favorite alias -Ernie Bung.

 

“Yes, sir. You’ll be in Room 3362. Top floor, all the way in the back corner as you requested.”

 

“Perfect. Nice and quiet. Oh, was there a note left for me?”

 

“Let me check.” She steps to the side and looks through a stack of envelopes, pulling a small one from the middle. “Here you are, sir, and here is your room key.”

 

Jack takes them both. “Thank you darlin’.” He heads up to the room it’s perfect. Right next to the roof access. He drops the duffle on one of the beds and gently lays the rifle case next to it. He opens the envelope and finds the key for the roof access door, courtesy of the owner (and Matty’s negotiating skills). He pulls the spotting scope out of the duffle and heads up to check the roof.

 

The key works with no problem and he checks that it works from the roof side as well so he doesn’t find himself locked up here. Then he stays low and makes his way to the north edge of the building. Laying down in the same spot where he’ll be setting up later, he uses the spotting scope and easily locates Graft’s penthouse suite a block away.

 

Everything seems to be in order. He can see 6 guards on the roof. The bulge under each left arm a clear sign that they’re all armed. Graft is alone in the apartment, sitting at his computer and talking on a cell phone. Jack can see about 90% of the suite from this vantage point thanks to the floor to ceiling windows all the way across this side of the building.

 

The suite is really only three rooms. From Jack’s point of view, the bedroom takes up the left side of the building all the way to the back and the bathroom is along the back between the bedroom and the rest of the suite. The main living area, dining room and kitchen are really one big room. There’s a balcony that stretches along two sides of the building with doors to the bedroom on the side and the main room in the front.

 

He checks the other buildings around him. There is only one taller than the hotel he’s on now and the roof of it doesn’t have a good vantage point to where he is without completely exposing the person trying to get a drop on him. It’s far enough away that they’d have to be at least a decent sniper to hit him. It shouldn’t be much of a problem but he’ll keep half an eye on it when the time comes.

 

Satisfied, he heads back to the room to wait. He puts the tuna sandwich he bought into the mini-fridge for now and checks in with Matty.

 

“Everything looks good here. I’ll head up to the roof before 7 just in case he’s early.”

 

“I’ve got Leanna and Riley arriving at around 6:30 and Mac has a 7 o’clock reservation in the restaurant with a table for 2 right by the lobby. That will give him a legitimate reason to sit for a while waiting for his non-existent date, then order by himself. And they’ll be instructed to take their time with his food.”

 

“Wait. He’s gotta sit there and pretend to get stood up? That sucks.”

 

“It’s not like he’s  _ actually _ expecting anybody. He’ll live.”

 

“I know. I know. Still sucks. Then again, maybe some cute waitress will give him her number and he’ll end up with a date after all.”

 

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed.” She says dripping with sarcasm. “Talk to you in a few hours.”

 

“Later.”

 

Since he’s got almost 3 hours, he decides a quick nap is in order. So, he sets the alarm on his phone for 6 o’clock and stretches out on the second bed. He’s asleep within minutes.

 

\--------------------------------------

 

Jack wakes up less than a minute before his alarm goes off, and silences it when it does. He grabs the sandwich out of the fridge, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water. Once his unsatisfying dinner is gone, he re-checks his gear and straps the hand gun to his thigh with 2 extra clips of ammo, then picks up the case and the duffle and walks to the door.

 

He looks out the peephole to make sure no one is around before opening the door and looking all the way down the hall. Finding the coast clear he heads up to the roof. Once outside he crouches as low as he can and makes his way into position, crawling the last 15-20 feet.

 

He folds the blanket twice and spreads it on the graveled roof for him to lay on. He sets up the rifle on the tripod, careful to leave the cover on the scope so the reflection doesn’t give away his position. He’ll open it if he needs to ready a shot and use the spotting scope until then. He puts in his comms earwig and switches it on.

 

“Comms check.”

 

Leanna is the one who answers. “Loud and clear, Jack.”

 

“I’m just about set up here. Did my girl get us access to those cameras yet?”

 

Riley pipes up, “It was laughably easy. The hotel owner gave us access to the cameras they have which of course are just the public and staff areas. I only had to hack into the ones Graft put in his suite and like I said -laughably easy. Everything seems quiet so far.”

 

“Let’s hope it stays that way. I don’t want to shoot this guy and never find out how the hell he’s doing all this.”

 

\-----------------------------------

 

Time ticks by slowly. Jack keeps a sharp eye on the suite as the sun gradually sets to his left, and lights come on across the city. The only light Graft turns on as night falls is the one in the office area of the main room. Apparently, he’s completely confident that his security is enough to protect him. 

 

He’s wrong.

 

As 9:30 approaches, Jack hears Riley softly mutter “What the?” Followed by a much louder “Guys, I just lost all the cameras in the suite!”

 

“What happened?” asks Matty.

 

“I don’t know. The hotel cameras are fine. It’s like the ones in the suite just turned off all at once.”

 

“Can you get them back?”

 

Jack can hear her fingers flying over the keyboard and knows she’s trying to reconnect. “Matty, they’re either turned off or completely disconnected. I don’t know what happened or how.”

 

“I do,” Jack says, dropping the spotting scope and flipping open the cover on the rifle’s site. “Houdini is in the apartment.”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m pretty sure it’s him. The light isn’t on in the bedroom, but his build is correct. The guards on the roof have no idea.”

 

“He didn’t pass any of the cameras in the rest of the hotel.” Riley adds.

 

Jack watches the figure move slowly through the darkened bedroom towards him and the open door to the living area. He walks up to the window and looks right at Jack, smiling.

 

“Target confirmed. It’s Houdini -and he’s looking right at me.”

 

“Jack he can’t possibly see you from that far away with the naked eye.” Responds Matty.

 

“Matty, I’m telling you he...son of a bitch just  _ waved _ at me!” Jack takes a steadying breath as Houdini turns and steps into the living area. Graft is talking on the phone, completely unaware that death is walking up behind him. “What’s your order, Matty?”

 

“Riley, is there any indication that the guards know anything is wrong?”

 

“None.”

 

Jack updates them. “Houdini is 15 feet from the target.”

 

“Take the shot, Jack.” Orders Matty.

 

“To kill or wound?”

 

“Clean kill.”

 

“Copy.”

 

Aiming for the center of Houdini’s chest, Jack slowly exhales, waits for the space between his heart beats and squeezes the trigger. The shot echos through the area as the window spiderwebs, but Houdini isn’t there -he’s 5 feet from where he was a fraction of a second ago.

 

“Wha-?” Is all Jack says as he adjusts his aim and fires twice more.

 

Gone.

 

Houdini and Graft are gone. No bodies, just the now empty room.Through the site, Jack can see the parchment leaning up against the screen of Graft’s laptop which had been turned to the perfect angle for him to read:

_ Zachary Sutton _

_ Nice shooting, Jack. _

 

\--------------------------------

 

“I didn’t miss, Matty!”

 

“You must have, Jack. I’m sorry, but there is no body.”

 

“He moved! I had him right in my site. I fired and suddenly he was 5 feet away!”

 

Mac couldn’t help himself. “Jack a sniper’s round travels at 2850 feet per second. There is no way anyone could dodge it, even if he knew you were  _ about _ to fire.”

 

Matty is trying to be very gentle, knowing this is an important topic for the former Delta. “Jack, you haven’t slept well the last few nights and you said yourself this guy creeps you out. No one is perfect.”

 

“Matty, I haven’t missed a sniper’s shot in over 15 years! No matter how tired, or stressed, or  _ creeped out _ ! It’s what I was trained for! If you  _ really _ think I missed, not once, but 3 times, then I’ll give my resignation to oversite right now. If I can’t even shoot straight anymore, then I got no business being here.”

 

“Jack…”

 

Mac cut her off. “Matty, he didn’t miss. He couldn’t have.”

 

“Mac, I know you feel the need to stand up for him, but -”

 

“That’s not it.” He interrupted again. “I know Jack. I’ve seen what he can do. I put my life in his hands every single day, without reservation, because I  _ know _ he doesn’t miss, no matter the circumstances. I can depend on that. From that distance, he can reliably hit a postage stamp. To suggest that he would miss an  _ entire person _ ? Even if they moved? No way.”

 

“Then what do you suggest, Mac? What is more believable? That Jack finally missed a shot or that Houdini can dodge bullets?”

 

“Neither. Look, Matty. We’ve been calling this guy Houdini because he’s doing things  _ no one _ can figure out. Maybe he  _ is _ using some kind of stage magic -mirrors, holograms of some sort on the glass, who knows what else. Maybe he wasn’t even in the room for Jack to hit. The point is, you  _ can’t _ put this down as a  _ miss _ on Jack’s record when we don’t know what really happened. That wouldn’t be fair.”

 

“Ok. I’ll concede that. The report will say that there was no hit, but we don’t know why. Agreed?”

 

Jack lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Matty.”

 

“We have another big problem guys. The next target, Zachary Sutton, is the FBI’s undercover agent. We’re hoping that since his name was left, he’ll check in with his handler early or just come in.”

 

“No undercover agent worth their salt is going to come in just because his life is threatened. We can only hope he’ll contact his handler -if he can.” Jack offers.

 

“Be back at noon. The FBI is trying to set up to take down the whole smuggling ring. It’s earlier than they want to, but they may not have a choice if they want to avoid further loss of life, including one of their own.”

 

\------------------------------------

 

Jack hates night ops. Matty is right about one thing. Between getting home after midnight and worrying about Houdini being in his apartment, he hasn’t slept well the last few nights. But he knows he didn’t just miss. The guy is pissing him off and now he’s threatening his reputation on top of everything else. He sighs heavily as he opens the door to his apartment and freezes -again. The lights and the alarm are off and there’s someone sitting in the apartment.

 

Jack’s gun is out in a flash. “Show me your fucking hands, man!” His only reply is a muffled yell and the guy in the chair starts squirming -like he’s tied to it. Holding his gun on the intruder he flips on the light. He’s right, they guy is tied to the chair. Correction, Zachary Sutton is tied to the chair, in  _ his _ apartment.

 

Jack sees the parchment note on the counter. “Is he still here?” He asks the agent. Sutton shrugs his shoulders in response. Jack searches the apartment. Finding nothing out of sorts he returns to Sutton, removing the gag and untying him. “What happened?”

 

“Who are you? Are you working with him?” Responds Sutton suspiciously.

 

“Oh yeah. You don’t know me. No, I’m not working with him. My name is Jack Dalton. I work for the Phoenix Foundation. The FBI came to us for help stopping the vigilante, I’ve been read in on your undercover assignment.”

 

Keeping an eye on Sutton, Jack picks up his phone and calls Matty, putting it on speaker to ease the other man’s mind a little. She answers the phone with “What happened?” 

 

“Guess who was in my apartment,  _ again _ ? This guy is really starting to piss me off, Matty. He left me a couple gifts this time.”

 

“Gifts?”

 

“Agent Sutton tied to a chair and another note.”

 

“You have Sutton?”

 

“Yup, he looks fine. No obvious injuries at least. You need to contact his handler and have him come here. If this guy is any kind of a good agent, he’s not going to believe anything I say or tell me anything until his handler confirms who I am.”

 

“On it. What about the note?”

 

He picks up the note Houdini left and reads it to her:

 

_ You didn’t really think I’d hurt one of the good guys, did you? _

_ P.S. - Pico House, 424 N Main St, LA -You’re welcome. _

 

“You may want to send a TAC team to the Pico House to find out what he left for us. I can be there in about 15 minutes.”

 

“I’m already calling in a team, Jack. You stay put and don’t take your eyes off Sutton. I don’t want Houdini changing his mind and going after him again.”

 

Jack can hear the new computer tech in the background (Carla? Candace? Claire?) “Matty, I just spoke to FBI Agent Marcus. He’ll be at Agent Dalton’s in less than 20 minutes.”

 

“Thank you, Carrie. Did you hear that, Jack?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Jack looks at Sutton who gives no reply. “We’ll be waiting. Have Carrie text me a picture so I know who not to shoot when he shows up at my door.”

 

Carrie replies. “Already on the way.”

 

“Thanks, darlin’.” Jack hangs up and pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a few seconds. It’s going to be another long night.

 

\-----------------------------------

 

14 minutes later there is a knock at the door. Jack checks that his gun is loaded, deliberately showing Sutton before turning it around and putting it on the counter for the other agent. “Just in case.”

 

Jack then takes another gun from a kitchen drawer and checks it as he walks to the door. He opens it quickly with his gun leveled at the face of the man on the other side. The man’s eyes open wide in shock before Jack quickly lowers the gun. “Agent Marcus. Come on in. Your boy is in the kitchen.”

 

Marcus enters cautiously keeping his eyes on Jack suspiciously. “You always greet visitors that way?” He asks as Jack closes and locks the door.

 

“Only when there is a homicidal vigilante on the loose who had broken into my apartment the last 2 nights in a row and just left an undercover FBI agent tied to a chair in my living room.”

 

“Fair point.” Marcus says before turning to Sutton. You okay, Zach?”

 

“Fine. Who is this guy?”

 

“Black ops agent Jack Dalton, former Delta Force if my information is correct.”

 

Jack smiles. “Yes, sir -12 years. So, what happened, Sutton? How’d you end up here?”

 

Sutton looks at Marcus who just nods to him. “I’m not entirely sure. I was told my name was the one left by the vigilante tonight, so I went to my cover’s apartment to get my burner phone to call Marcus here so I could find out how the brass wanted me to play it. Out of nowhere, the guy was standing right next to me! I have no idea how he got into the room because I was facing the only door.”

 

“Yeah, we kinda codenamed him Houdini.” Says Jack.

 

“Well, it certainly fits. Anyway, he said he didn’t really want to hurt me, but then he hit me in the head...I think. He must have had something in his hand though, it felt like a rock. Next thing I know, I’m waking up, gagged and tied to a chair and the guy is gone. A couple minutes later, Agent Dalton walked in and found me.”

 

Another knock at the door had all three agents tensing. Jack answers it as before and finds a Phoenix forensics team he recognizes standing in the hall with their hands up looking bored. “Oh, hey guys. Come on in and do your thing.”

 

A few minutes later, Matty calls and tells Jack to put her on speaker so the two FBI agents can hear as well. “The TAC team searched the Pico House and found Leonard Graft -alive and tied up. The moment they walked in, he started raving about a man made of stone flying him over the city and leaving him where we found him. The description he gave matches Houdini.”

 

Jack’s face scrunches up into a clear ‘huh?’ and he says “A flying stone man? Voodoo is sounding more and more plausible, eh Matty?”

 

“Can it, Jack. We think he is trying to set up an insanity defense. The team also found another note. This one was a message directly to us and the FBI. It says:

 

_ I knew you wanted  this one for your case and since your inside man is  _

_ now out, you won’t have access to these anymore. _

_ Mitchell Waterburg, Dwayne Carter, Xavier Anderson _

 

\-------------------------------------

 

The next 3 days follow the same frustrating pattern. Nothing anyone does prevents Houdini from disappearing with his targets, and without Sutton on the inside passing information it’s much more difficult to track the targets in the first place. Mitchell Waterburg disappears from inside a private air raid bunker which, for some unlikely reason, is left unlocked. Dwayne Carter vanishes from his 30 foot power boat 2 miles off the coast. And no one seems know know where Xavier Anderson went to hide, but he was never heard from again.

 

The only good news is that Jack doesn’t receive any unwanted visitor. He half expects Houdini on the third might and Mac stays with him until midnight just in case. He doesn’t show and with no other notes to know who’s next, there’s no way to know where Houdini is going to strike. The next night, no one disappears.

 

“Maybe those were the last three he wanted?” Jack says as he throws more popcorn into his mouth. He and Mac have been sitting on Jack’s couch since dinner watching a Fast and the Furious marathon on netflix. It’s now 11:30.

 

“Maybe. Which means we may never catch him.” Mac looks annoyed.

 

Jack chuckles. “Look man, the FBI is going to take down the smugglers in a couple of days and maybe then you can get access to the crime scenes and figure out the science behind the magic.”

 

“It’s just so  _ frustrating _ ! How the hell is he doing it? We had Carter’s boat under satellite surveillance and no other boats approached all night. Riley even looked at the footage  _ zoomed in _ to see if he boarded in scuba gear. Nothing!”

 

“Like I said, you’ll figure it out sooner or later, man. Stop thinking about it and maybe it will just come to you. Besides, you look exhausted, Mac. Go home, get some sleep. That’ll help, too.”

 

“You’re right. You sure you don’t want me to stay here tonight in case Houdini shows up?”

 

“Nah, I’m fine. If he was going to show, it probably would have been yesterday.”

 

“Okay. Well, call if you need me. Take care of yourself, man.”

 

“You too, brother.” He holds his fist up for a bump which Mac returns gladly then heads for the door.

 

“See you tomorrow, Jack.”

 

“Later.” Jack locks the door and sets the alarm before starting to clean up. How does dropped popcorn always seem to multiply? He swears they  _ maybe _ dropped a couple pieces, but it’s somehow everywhere. He sighs as he squats down on the floor, brushing the popcorn off the couch into the almost empty bowl and scooping up what ended up on the floor. Satisfied he got all of it, he stands up and turns for the kitchen.

 

His blood runs cold and he drops the bowl, scattering popcorn everywhere as he reaches for the gun on the small of his back. Houdini is sitting in the chair barely three feet away.

 

“Hello, Jack. I thought we should finally talk.” He seems completely unphased by the gun being pointed directly at his chest at point blank range.

 

“How did you get in here?” Jack demands.

 

“I’ve been sitting in your bedroom waiting for MacGyver to leave for the past hour. What you  _ really _ want to know is how I got so close to you and sat in this chair without you noticing.”

 

“How about you answer both of those questions.”

 

“Does it really matter?”

 

“It does to me.”

 

“You aren’t losing your touch, Jack. Your skills are just as finely honed as ever. And before you ask...no. You didn’t miss that sniper shot the other day. You actually grazed me! I wasn’t expecting the third shot -which is impressive all by itself.”

 

“Yeah, okay, enough. Stand up, turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

 

“That isn’t going to happen. I have no intention of being arrested, and I’d rather not hurt you if I can avoid it, so please don’t push the matter.”

 

“You really think you could hurt me?” Jack scoffs, pretending to be more confident than he is.

 

“Yes, but please, why don’t you lower your weapon so we can talk in a civilized manner.”

 

“Not gonna happen.”

 

Houdini sighs. “You and I are so much alike.”

 

Jack suppresses a flinch. “How do you figure.?”

 

“We are both  _ very _ stubborn. We’ve both killed many, many people...but mostly evil doers and we both take comfort in that, unless we really stop to think about all the lives we’ve taken. Then the guilt threatens to overwhelm us. You, Jack Dalton, are the human version of me.”

 

“Human? Wait, what now?”

 

“Yes, you are human.”

 

“And you are…?”

 

“Not.”

 

“Um, yeah, sure, okay. How about we skip to me taking you into custody now. Get up.”

 

“No.”

 

“That wasn’t a request. I  _ will _ shoot you.”

 

“No you won’t.”

 

“You have already admitted to killing a bunch of people and you just broke into my apartment. I have every right to shoot you.”

 

“That isn’t what I meant. You  _ do _ have legal justification to shoot me and you may even squeeze off a shot. However, it won’t hit me any more than your sniper’s round did.”

 

“You really want to test that theory?”

 

Houdini sighs in frustration, rolling his eyes. “I truly didn’t want to do this but it seems you leave me with little alternative.”

 

Jack doesn’t even blink and his gun is skittering across the floor -Houdini standing inches from him. Momentarily startled, Jack steps back, then puts his whole body behind a left hook. Pain explodes through his hand as he connects with Houdini’s jaw. Bones snapping even though Houdini has pulled his head back to lessen the blow. It’s like punching a brick wall.

 

“I wish you hadn’t done that, Jack. It’ll take months for that hand to heal.”

 

Furious, Jack raises his right hand to punch again -and Houdini is gone...until he speaks from right behind him.

 

“I won’t let you break the other one.”

 

Jack spins to face his opponent again and he feels his feet leave the floor, his back hitting the wall that had been almost 10 feet behind him. Slightly dazed, it takes him a few seconds to realize that a stony hand at his throat is what’s holding him several inches off the floor. Both of his hands grab the arm holding him up and attempt the pry it away, his broken left hand screaming in protest. It won’t budge, not even a fraction of an inch.

 

“Relax, Jack. I have no plans to hurt you, but if you keep this up, you’re going to hurt yourself even more.”

 

Jack attempts to hold down the panic threatening to creep into him as he realizes Houdini doesn’t seem to be straining with exertion as he holds him up. It’s like he’s holding a feather, and he is completely, unnaturally still...like a statue -his skin feels about as hard and cold as one. A terrifying thought crosses his mind -Houdini wasn’t joking.

 

He isn’t human.

 

Jack stops moving and notices the hand holding his neck isn’t squeezing, simply holding him up. Houdini offers a closed-mouthed smile before saying “I should be going. This little meeting did not go as I had hoped, but it did go as I expected. Maybe we will meet again some other time and we can actually talk. You really do fascinate me, especially you relationship with the blonde. He is so good, so pure. How does he tolerate the amount of blood on your hands? How does he love you, knowing the monster you really are? Ah well…”

 

He abruptly releases Jack, who drops to the floor in a stunned heap. “Tell the FBI they may have the rest...I’m bored.” Houdini backs several slow steps away from him before Jack shakes himself out of his torpor.

 

“Who the hell are you?  _ What _ the hell are you?”

 

“What I am, we can perhaps discuss next time. As for  _ who _ I am, you may call me Lestat.”

 

Jack blinks, and he’s alone.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos to those of you who at any point figured out that this is a crossover with Anne Rice's Vampire Series that starts with Interview With The Vampire. Please don't kill me for not having a real world explanation for Houdini's attacks!!
> 
> I was reading Anne's newest book and put it down to watch an episode of MacGyver and was struck by the parallels between Jack and Lestat. I had to write it. If you haven't read the series, it's highly recommended. If you just want a glimpse of Lestat to understand, you can watch the movie made of the first book with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. They actually did a really good job.
> 
> I also wanted to do a fic where the Phoenix fails in their assignment. I feel like there aren't enough of them....no one is perfect after all.
> 
> I'm thinking of making this a series, which is why I ended it without explaining 'everything'. However, that will depend on you!! Did you like this? Do you want more? Or are you too mad at me for making the story paranormal?
> 
> As always, kudos and feedback are welcome and appreciated! Most of it was beta-ed, just not the last couple scenes. I couldn't wait anymore to post it! I'm so excited by this one, I needed to know what people think!


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